Help!

Hi everyone! I'm going to keep this (mercifully) short. I don't do this a lot, and in fact I think I've only done this one other time. I write and publish this newsletter because I love writing about tech and the impact it has on society and the way we live, and I use this newsletter (as I used to use my blog) as a way to think out loud about such things. I would do this for nothing! That said, however, my day job recently vanished along with the rest of the journalism industry, and I could definitely use a little, you know, something for the effort (as Bill Murray said to the Dalai Lama in the classic 1980s movie "Caddyshack").

I don't put this newsletter behind a paywall or a subscription wall and continuously hit you up for money, as some newsletters do. I am (and always have been) a believer in the model that The Guardian and some others use, which is donation based. It allows those who can't afford a subscription to read, and those free readers are subsidized by the smaller number that pay. So if you could upgrade your subscription to a paying one that would be great — it's about as much as a cup of a coffee a month (depending on where you buy your coffee!). Or you could contribute whatever sum you wish through my Patreon.

I promise I will put the money to good use, like buying new shoes for the orphans down the street, and will definitely not use it for booze or anything else unsavory, even though my wife and I and our 12 children now live in van down by the river. If you already pay to subscribe, may the gods bless you and all your offspring, and may your harvest be bountiful! Even if you don't pay, I hope you enjoy the newsletter, and if you do please spread the word through the platform of your choice! And if you come across a story that you think belongs in the newsletter, please send it my way.

Thanks in advance,

Mathew